The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light
by Drew Hayden Taylor
a Firehall Arts Centre Production
Award-winning Ojibway playwright, author, journalist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor returns to his Firehall home this spring with a provocative new play that dives into the high-stakes world of counterfeit Indigenous art.
In a world of fakes, who can you trust?
“Red Cadmium Light” paint was created in 1982. So when a painting attributed to legendary Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau is dated earlier than that – and contains the pigment – it can only mean one thing: it’s a fake.
‘Nazhi’ runs an art gallery on the Otter Lake First Nation, specializing in the work of Norval Morrisseau and other renowned Indigenous artists. Her daughter ‘Beverly’ is a respected Indigenous educator on the verge of a major career breakthrough. But when a reporter begins to dig into the world of counterfeit Indigenous art, a discovery is made that risks jeopardizing both women’s careers, and their relationship, forever.
The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light asks urgent questions about authenticity, identity, and the cost of truth.
